“Take a load off. Have a few beers or a few drinks,” said Dan Smith, Loyola University Maryland freshman.

But excessive drinking is a major problem.

In Maryland, one in five college students shows signs of alcohol abuse.

“You will always have those cases of excessive drinking, like any university,” said Danny Mayi, Loyola University Maryland senior.

Now there’s a new initiative called “Maryland Collaborative to Reduce College Drinking and Related Problems” which brings several universities together.

“Alcohol has gotten to be too much of the college experience when we’re seeing 1,800 deaths a year, 600,000 unintentional injuries, close to 100,000 rapes and sexual assaults,” said David Jernigan, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The collaborative just released a report on college drinking in the state.

Most Maryland schools offer alcohol education programs and basic training, but this collaborative takes it a step further.